The Attitude Way
by hsm753
Summary: Chaos has erupted on Raw and no one is safe. You don't know who your friends or enemies are. Freedom is gone. Champions run the scene. Torture is punishment. But how does Shawn fit in with this changed world? Will he stand with justice or go along with his friend and help the new Triple H squash all under foot?
1. Chapter 1

**I would like to thank DarylDixon'sgirl1985 for helping me with the summary and supporting this story. Reviews are welcome.**

Chapter 1

Shawn grinned as he watched the hogs eat away at the slop in their pen. He adjusted his weight on the log he was sitting on and pressed a water bottle to his lips. He quickly sighed and looked up at the blue sky, the clouds parting so the sun became brighter and hotter by the second. Beads of sweat trickled down his face from exhaustion.

It was a hot day in San Antonio, Texas, and Shawn had worked all day providing for his family, pets, and friends. Along with daily yard work, he wanted to get an extra start on the fields with his tractor and head straight to feeding the animals so he could spend time with his family. Unfortunately, his work on the ranch and making phone calls got in the way. It seemed to be a problem with his wife Rebecca, but Shawn always made up for lost time.

He had a lot on his mind as he continued looking at the hogs for a few minutes before standing, rubbing his sore legs. He picked up the slop bucket and carried it over to the garden hose to wash it off. After that, he splashed a few drops of water on his face and walked towards the house.

* * *

"Here you go, boy," Rebecca said, tossing celery sticks into a nearby cage. "You're getting so big. Pretty soon, you'll be the size of a house."

Rebecca chuckled to herself and quickly heard the sound of the front door slamming shut. He peeked over the corner of the kitchen and saw her husband walking towards her. She smiled as he kissed her on the cheek and finished the water bottle.

"Shawn, we need to put Mr. Snickers on a diet," Rebecca said, folding her arms. Shawn grinned and tossed the empty bottle in the trash. "We're going to need a bigger cage if he gets any bigger."

Shawn walked over to Mr. Snickers' cage and opened the door, tucking his arms around the soft Rabbit and holding him steady like a baby.

"Oh, Rebecca," He said, grinning. "I think Mr. Snickers is just fine. Aren't you, Mr. Snickers?"

Mr. Snickers ruffled his nose in response and quickly used its legs to escape Shawn's hold and hopped back into its cage with Rebecca's help. Rebecca smiled at Shawn before kissing him on the lips. Shawn closed the cage door.

"You spend more time with that Rabbit than you do with me or the children." Rebecca touched Shawn's face.

Shawn smiled. "You know I love you, right? I love you and the children just the same. Tomorrow I plan to spend more time with you, I promise."

"Promise is a big word, Shawn."

"I know," Shawn waited for his wife's response, but all he got was a glare. He lifted his eyebrows. "How's this?"

Shawn kissed Rebecca tenderly, leading to Rebecca kissing back passionately in an instant. Shawn wrapped his arms around Rebecca's waist and felt Rebecca's hands on his chest, surprisingly pushing him away.

Shawn looked at his wife, confused. Rebecca smiled.

"I'll give you more attention if you take a shower."

Rebecca laughed a little at the look on Shawn's face, but couldn't help but kiss him one more time, feeling a little nervous. Shawn huffed, teasing his wife, and walked out of the kitchen and towards the living room.

"Oh, and Shawn?" Rebecca called.

"Yes?"

"Don't forget to tuck Cheyenne and Cameron in tonight."

"I won't."

Shawn laughed and walked up the staircase towards the bedrooms. He walked down the hall and caught a glimpse of Cameron sitting on his bed tossing a football up in the air. He wanted to speak to his son, but couldn't help but notice Cheyenne was also in the room playing with Cameron's action figures. Cheyenne's favorite action figure was her Dad in a white coat and hat.

Shawn smiled and walked towards the door.

"Hey," He said. "What you doing?"

Cheyenne looked up at her Dad and smiled and said, "I'm playing Wrestling, Daddy."

"I'm just sitting here." Cameron said, sighing.

"Something wrong, Cam?" Shawn took a few steps into the room and waited near the bed.

"No. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"Well, with the new school year coming up, I hope you would teach me some old Football moves."

Shawn smiled brightly and said, "Of course I'll teach you. I wouldn't let you down, Cam."

"Daddy," Cheyenne looked at her father and brother. "Do you want to play with me?"

"In a minute, honey. I'm gonna take a bath, then we'll play. Besides, who are we facing this time?"

"Undertaker, Daddy."

"Sounds fascinating." Shawn chuckled.

"I'll play with you, Chey. I'm good with Undertaker." Cameron got off the bed and placed the Football at his side before grabbing The Undertaker action figure and beginning to Wrestle with Cheyenne's action figure of their Dad.

Shawn chuckled under his breath and left the room. "I love you, guys."

"I love you, Daddy." Cheyenne said.

"Love you." Cameron said.

Shawn walked down the hallway towards his bedroom and opened the door, entering the room with a sigh. He closed the door and quickly looked in the closet for any clean clothes to wear. He found a pair of blue jeans and a red shirt among other things before placing them on the floor in the bathroom. He got the shower started and went back to the bed to check his phone.

As he scrolled through the text messages about the next MRA episodes and conventions, Shawn quickly signed in to his Twitter account and looked at the screen. Nothing new at first, but then a message popped up asking, "Shawn, will you Tweet me? It's my Birthday today!"

Shawn smiled and quickly responded to the Tweet, saying, "Happy B-Day!"

He liked when he was able to send back the love to his fans, knowing they still care about him, and liked every second watching or waiting for fans to light up with excitement when he met or Tweeted them.

After a few minutes, Shawn placed his phone back on the bed, seeing nothing new had popped up, and quickly walked into the bathroom. He locked the door and took his shirt off.

* * *

"I can be the WWE Champion if _I_ want to be!"

Daniel Bryan screamed into the microphone as he stared down the woman in front of him. The woman, Stephanie McMahon, gave a slight smile and shook her head.

"Look, Daniel, you are an incredible superstar. You've got a lot of potential, so why not use it and go for another title?"

"You don't understand," Daniel panted, waiting for the fans in the crowd to die down on their chants and boos. "I have waited a long time for my moment to hold the WWE Championship in my hand, and when I finally had that one moment, your husband took it away from me!"

The crowd jeered and taunted at the reminder of what happened at Summerslam. Daniel smiled and looked at the crowd, then continued, "See? Even these people agree that my moment was taken away."

"And I understand that, Daniel, but business is business, and what my husband, Triple H, did was best for business. He knows what's best-"

"What's best? What's best, huh? I'll tell you what's best for business: That your husband should be fired as COO. That's what everybody wants at this point."

The crowd erupted into cheers and Stephanie looked out at the screaming fans with an angry look on her face. Daniel smiled and quickly threw his hands up in the air and chanted, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

As the crowd matched Daniel's movements, Stephanie smiled and lifted the microphone to her lips.

"You know what, Daniel? You don't want to anger my husband more than you already have these past couple of weeks. And I think you should shut up before I ban you from this arena and disappoint all your fans that your match will be canceled. Is that what you want, Daniel? Do you think that's best for business?"

Daniel looked at Stephanie and said, "With all due respect, I wouldn't even want Triple H to come out right now, because if he does I might just lose my job for putting my fist so far down his throat he'll be begging me for mercy. He'll-"

Just then, a loud bolt of music hit the speakers:

_Behold the King,_  
_The King of Kings._

The audience booed and jeered immediately at the sound of Triple H's music and the figure of Triple h himself walking down the ramp with a proud smile on his face and a grey suit on his body. As he made his way towards the ring, Stephanie applauded her husband and faced him with a huge smile on her face. Daniel stood where he was without a single smile or gesture of approval to the COO of the company.

Triple H ducked between the ropes and walked over to the side of the ring, taking a microphone from an outside worker's hand. He tapped it to check if it was working before speaking into it. His music stopped just as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I couldn't help but hear you backstage, Daniel, and I couldn't help but hear your threats against me," Hunter smiled as he approached Daniel Bryan, the look on his face making him smile wider. "Tell me...tell me what you just said. You know, the part where you said something about your hand and my throat? Go ahead. I'd like you to repeat it, please."

Daniel looked at Hunter back away from him and he slowly lifted the microphone, anger building inside him as he spoke, "I will defeat Randy Orton at Night of Champions and, when I do, I will rearrange your vision of the future, Hunter."

Hunter laughed and looked at his wife, a smile on her face. "That's not what I asked, but I've got to admit, you are a funny man, Daniel."

Daniel clenched his fist and felt his anger about to burst. He just wanted to punch anyone in his path. Even the thoughts of possibly losing his job were of no importance.

Then, he felt himself forced around and, before he knew it, he felt the cold, hard mat below him. Darkness followed.

In the ring, Randy Orton smirked and looked at the man below him. He waited for Daniel to get up, but he didn't have to wait long before the three members of The Shield crawled into the ring and picked Daniel up. Randy walked over to the group of men and punched Daniel a few good times before hitting him with an RKO and a few kicks to the ribs. Daniel made no movements as The Shield picked him up and placed him on their shoulders for the finisher. After dropping Daniel on the mat, The Shield backed away and allowed Randy to approach the unconscious man.

Randy slowly lifted his arm and looked at the Championship in his hand. Hunter and Stephanie kissed tenderly and applauded the new face of the WWE.

* * *

Shawn wrapped his free arm around his wife and kissed her on the cheek, seeing she was already asleep beside him. He tucked in Cheyenne and Cameron earlier and spent time with Rebecca to make up for lost time. He smiled lightly and sighed before adjusting under the blankets, moving on to his back, and grabbed his phone off the dresser nearby.

He signed in to his Twitter account and was about to send a good night message to his fans until he saw a bunch of Tweets piled on his phone.

The Tweets kept coming, so Shawn read the ones he could read the fastest. They said:

_-We need you back!_

_-Please come back, Shawn!_

_-You need to talk to Triple H._

_-Time to lace up your boots and come back to RAW._

_-Raw needs you, Shawn. Please come home._

_-Something's wrong in WWE. Please Shawn, come back._

Shawn sighed and felt his heart pound, the thought of even one return was too much to bear at this point. He felt a little confused. He talked to Hunter just last week, and everything seemed normal. They talked about work, Hunter making comments about his major workload, and Wrestling, but Hunter had to go because he was busy. He frowned, knowing how much his fans wanted him to come back and wrestle again.

He sighed and tapped at his phone, sending a good night Tweet to his fans. He set his phone on the dresser and closed his eyes, hoping for a good night's sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shawn chuckled as his hands were pinned down on the floor by his daughter.

"One...two..." Cheyenne began, smiling.

As soon as Cheyenne was about to make it to three, Shawn lifted his shoulders up gently, causing Cheyenne to laugh and then went to tickle her Dad in his ribs. Cameron watched from the couch with a smile on his face, laughing now and then at his sister's plan to make their Dad give up. So far, it wasn't working. Cameron tossed the football in his hands up and down.

Shawn started to notice Cameron's actions as he laughed from the sensations in his ticklish spots. He used one of his hands to block Cheyenne's fingers.

"Hey, Cam," He said. "Want to join us?"

Cameron looked up at his Dad and said, "No. I'm fine."

"Cam, come tickle Daddy!" Cheyenne said as she wiggled her hand free and started tickling Shawn again.

Shawn laughed hard and, trying to stop Cheyenne, said, "We used to play this game all the time, remember?"

"When I was two." Cameron whispered.

"What was that?" Shawn asked.

"Nothing," Cameron looked at his Dad's face, seeing confused eyes, and sighed. "Where's Mom?"

"In the..." Shawn blocked his daughter's fingers with a laugh. "Kitchen."

"Okay."

Cameron stood up and walked towards the kitchen, not once leaving his football out of sight. Once he was gone, Shawn sighed and laid on his side, careful not to put too much pressure on his back. Shawn and Cheyenne watched Cameron leave and Cheyenne looked at her Dad, seeing the frown on his face. By this time, she stopped tickling him and wanted her brother to play with her.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, honey?" Shawn asked.

"Is Cam okay? He doesn't look happy."

Shawn pushed a string of hair behind Cheyenne's ears and smiled. He then stood up slowly and said, "Cam's okay, honey. I'll talk to him."

"Daddy?"

Shawn stopped walking and turned around. "Yes?"

"Are you busy tomorrow?"

From what Shawn could see, his daughter's eyes pleaded 'no.' He frowned and said, "I might be," He smiled lightly. "But I'll play with you and your brother, too."

Cheyenne smiled brightly and said, "Okay, Daddy."

Shawn smiled and walked towards the kitchen, feeling his body getting tired from all the rolling and playing with Cheyenne. He happened to catch a glimpse of Rebecca cooking on the stove, the smell of roast lingering in the air, and quickly smiled.

He walked up to Rebecca and planted a kiss on her cheek, making Rebecca jump a second. Shawn laughed and said, "I love you."

"I wonder why." Rebecca said, stirring the meat in the pot.

Shawn chuckled and looked around the kitchen, noticing Mr. Snickers eating a carrot as he curled up in his cage. Now Shawn had to agree Mr. Snickers was getting bigger since the cage barely fits the rabbit anymore. Rebecca was angry when Shawn allowed Mr. Snickers to roam free around the house one day since he started growing. Shawn knew never to do that again, so now the only option was a bigger cage. And nicer.

"Shawn," Rebecca looked over her shoulder. "I saw Cameron come through here. He didn't say anything and went to his room."

"Should we ask him what's wrong? He seemed a little bitter when I was playing with Cheyenne."

"I would," Rebecca said, smiling. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. You could talk to him, then."

"I think he wouldn't like it to be a family discussion. I'll talk to him."

Shawn walked out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, walking up them until he made it to the hallway where Cameron's room remained at the end of the hall. He sighed and walked towards his son's door, knocking on it a few seconds.

"Who is it?" Cameron's voice echoed.

"Your Dad."

"Oh. You can come in."

Shawn smiled and opened the door. He greeted Cameron with a smile and saw the football being tossed up and down, landing in perfect position in Cameron's hands. Cameron looked up at the ceiling as Shawn sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, Cam. I wanted to ask you something."

Cameron continued to look at the ceiling. "What is it?"

"If something's bothering you..." Shawn's voice trailed as he tried to find to find the right words to say. "I'm...I'm always here to help."

"Yeah."

"Is that a yes or not?"

Cameron looked at his Dad and sat up, pressing his back against the backboard on the bed. He sighed and tightened the grip on his football.

"I don't know," He said. "I guess I'm thinking a lot about how things used to be."

Shawn felt confused. "Explain what you mean."

"Well," Cameron managed to look at his Dad. "You're always busy. It's as if you don't have time for us anymore."

"Yeah, I've noticed that, too. Being busy and all is tough work. But, Cam," Shawn touched his son's leg. "You know I'll always be there for you and your sister, right?"

Cameron nodded, a slight smile on his lips. Shawn nodded himself and heard Rebecca yell downstairs.

"Dinner must be ready." Shawn said.

Cameron nodded and stood up from the bed as Shawn walked towards the door. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"After dinner will you be up for another match?" Cameron smirked.

Shawn breathed deep. "Yep. I need a good handicap match to lose some weight."

* * *

**Raw 9/16/13; After Night of Champions**

Daniel Bryan stood in the center of the ring, looking out at the crowd with a huge smile. The cheering fans shouted "Yes!" and "Daniel Bryan!" as he balanced the weight of the championship on his shoulder. He couldn't help but become nervous and he gazed out at the stands full of people with signs and smiles. He slowly came back to reality as he quickly placed the microphone up to his lips and proclaimed, "You guys are awesome."

The crowd cheered at this and Daniel smiled again. He had many reasons, and rights, to be smiling. Just some hours ago, he defeated the WWE champion Randy Orton and now took his place as the new face of the WWE, showing Triple H and Stephanie, as well as the McMahon family, he was best for business. His moment he worked so hard for was finally here, and now he was willing to keep it for as long as he remained champion.

He smiled and said, "There's a lot of things I'd like to say right now, but I think what says it best is...Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The crowd cheered along with Daniel as he raised the championship high into the air. Daniel felt waves of happiness over his body, now free of any plans to stop Randy from hurting other superstars with his companions The Shield or have to listen to Triple H whine about what's best for business. He smiled wider, and couldn't help but keep smiling as the crowd kept cheering and chanting all at once.

Then, a blast of music hit the speakers:

_Behold the King,_  
_the King of Kings._

Daniel's smile turned into a frown when he saw the COO Triple H walk down the ramp and quickly made way towards the ring. Now, he felt confused, but confident.

_He has no choice but to congratulate me. I won the match._

Hunter entered the ring and stood across from Daniel Bryan, looking at the championship in his hands, now discussed with how things turned out hours ago. But at the same time, he felt a hint of happiness, knowing he did the right thing calling off any help for his protégée Randy Orton. Hunter saw the look on Daniel's face and smiled.

"Before you go to far down the road of congratulating yourself on becoming WWE champion, Daniel, I would like to address the eight-hundred pound gorilla that is sitting in the room."

Daniel looked at Hunter in confusion, wondering what scheme this man must be plotting to take his title away from him. He tried to stay calm, however, since he now wanted to know what the COO had to say.

Hunter cleared his throat and continued, "That is the fast count from last night."

The crowd booed and jeered as Hunter looked at Daniel with serious eyes. Daniel licked his lips and shook his head as he heard the other man talking about how the fast count was all over the media. He clutched the title in his hands and quickly saw Hunter motion towards the ramp, where a man in a referee shirt came down and entered the ring with a frown. This referee was no stranger to the superstars. He was a friend to many of them and a long time veteran of the company.

"Scott Armstrong," Hunter looked at the referee. "Let's look at your normal count."

For the next few minutes, Daniel seemed forced to watch a comparison of the referee's three count. He didn't understand what was going on, and didn't notice the fast count hours ago, as the video footage ended on the titantron and Hunter talked to the referee in a serious tone.

"I made a mistake." Scott said, looking at the ground.

"You made a mistake?" Hunter asked.

Daniel looked at the referee and saw the look in his eyes. Then, Scott looked up at Daniel.

"There on to us, Daniel." He said.

Daniel's heart pounded. "What are you talking about?"

"Hold on a second," Hunter's voice boomed into the microphone. "Did he just say 'there on to us?'"

"Yes, I did, Triple H." Scott whispered.

Daniel shrugged and looked at Hunter, who now had an angry look on his face. He shrugged some more and his heart pounded harder in his chest.

"I didn't do anything." Daniel whispered.

"Thank you, Scott. I will deal with you later," Hunter said, pointing his finger towards the ramp. As the referee left the ring, he looked at Daniel and said, "I'm surprised, Daniel. You have not only embarrassed yourself, but you have also embarrassed your family and fellow superstars, as well as your own name."

"I didn't do anything!" Daniel yelled. He didn't care if he wasn't talking into a microphone, he just wanted to know the truth.

"You have embarrassed everybody, Daniel. I thought Shawn taught you better than that."

Daniel tensed up and felt a hint of anger spread through him. He didn't understand what he did wrong and didn't have a right to take this from _this_ man. This sell-out.

"Daniel, you leave me no choice," Hunter frowned as he looked at the young superstar. "As of this moment you are no longer the WWE champion."

Shaking his head, Daniel's anger suddenly fumed into frustration. He was ready to punch or slap this man in front of him.

Hunter extended his hand. "Hand me the title, Daniel."

"No!"

* * *

Shawn picked up a stack of papers of his desk and quickly sorted through them. He saw that many were documents of his work schedule with his television show MRA, as well as a recent call list for him to make appointments for his next meeting with his co-stars. He quickly rubbed his eyes from the exhausting day playing with his children and farm work. He noticed a small paper that fell on the floor and picked it up slowly, a tight feeling aching in his back.

Once he got the paper, he looked at it and noticed the paper was a small check for his performance at Summerslam. He frowned and tried to remember if he had cashed it yet. Of course, he had been so busy he more than likely couldn't remember it. Shawn sighed and placed the paper on the desk close to his cell phone. He stacked the papers neatly back on the desk and picked up his cell phone.

Pressing the buttons, he went straight towards his speed dial contacts and quickly selected the first contact on the list. He placed his cell phone up to his ear and waited.

After two rings, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hunter," Shawn smiled and leaned back in his chair. "How's it going?"

"I'm fine," Hunter said, his voice a little raspy. "You?"

"Good. Never better. Did you hear about those things in the news?"

The phone let out a few static noises before Hunter responded, "I haven't been watching the news lately. I'm busy."

"Oh, well if you want I could tell you about the-"

"That's great, Shawn, but I have to go. I'm busy and I don't have time to sit here and talk."

Shawn frowned. Hunter had said this the past few days now.

"Shawn?"

"Yeah, Hunt?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yeah...I'll just call you back tomorrow if you-"

"Not tomorrow. I'm busy for the rest of the week. I'm sorry."

Then, the line clicked dead. Shawn checked to see if the signal went out, but saw that the call ended. He closed the phone and sighed, trying to figure out why Hunter had a tone in his voice. It seemed like an everyday thing since Summerslam a month ago.

Shawn quickly placed his phone on the desk and slowly put his head in his hands. He sighed and tried to think positive about things that had to be dealt with in his head.

Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed throughout the house.

Shawn jumped in his seat and quickly ran out of the room, the screams turning into whimpers as he raced down the staircase. His heart raced in his chest when he entered the living room and saw his daughter's face buried in her Mom's shirt, whimpering softly.

"Is it over? Is it over, Mommy?" Cheyenne whimpered.

"It's alright, sweetie. It's alright."

Rebecca looked up at Shawn, giving her husband a reassuring look as she cradled her daughter in her arms.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Cameron said.

Shawn noticed Cameron was looking at the television set and quickly saw the picture on the screen:

A man was crying and holding another man in his arms. He was patted on the back by a woman and surrounded by three men in black uniforms. They all stood in a squared ring and went on with their business as Doctors and medical workers surrounded the other man.

All these faces were familiar to Shawn. His heart raced in his chest.

Shawn looked at his daughter, still cradled in Rebecca's arms, and asked, "What happened, honey?"

"D-D-Dusty...out...that man...it." Cheyenne's words were muffled by her cries.

"Shawn, Cheyenne wanted to see Raw tonight and we happened to watch it at the wrong time."

"Why? What happened?" Shawn asked, looking around the room.

"Dusty Rhodes is hurt, Dad." Cameron said, trying to stay calm.

Shawn looked at Cameron, confused, but then looked at the television to see Raw airing what just happened on the screen. Shawn's blood boiled. He knew Dusty ever since he first went into the wrestling business. Now, he sees him being treated like he's garbage.

Shawn looked over at his wife and, to his surprise, saw Rebecca's eyes locked on his.

"Someone has to do something about this."

**Stay Tuned. More Will Be On The Way Soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rebecca smiled lightly as she watched her husband sleep next to her, hearing his soft breathing. She rubbed his face gently and pushed a few loose strands of hair out of his eyes and smiled, seeing how peaceful Shawn looked. She sighed and kissed Shawn's forehead, then she quietly got off the bed and walked towards the door and down the hallway.

They both had a long night trying to keep Cheyenne calm, but every time they tried to make her feel better, she'd get upset and couldn't control her cries. It was hard for Shawn to see his daughter like that, the way she buried her face in his chest and cried for hours, and felt his heart drop with every movement his young daughter made to not watch another segment of the show. He tried to calm her down by taking her into the kitchen, but it didn't work, and Rebecca decided to turn off Raw. Cameron tried to calm his sister as well, but nothing he did seemed to work. It seemed hopeless to get Cheyenne to stop crying as Shawn held her most of the night.

Shawn's breathing began to quicken as he stirred in his sleep, opening his eyes slowly. As he adjusted to the sharp light in the room, he blinked a few times and felt something beside him. He looked around until he finally felt his arms wrapped around Cheyenne, who remained asleep as she now looked peaceful and calm. Shawn smiled and slowly brought his arms back to his side as he sat up, continuing to look at his daughter. He leaned down slowly, feeling a slight pull in his muscles, and kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you, Chey." Shawn whispered, smiling at his daughter.

Then, he slowly got out of bed and looked around for Rebecca. He took one last look at Cheyenne before leaving the room. He sighed and walked slowly down the hall, planning out the busy day ahead of him.

* * *

As the morning went by, Shawn continued his regular routine of feeding the hogs and other animals, including Mr. Snickers, and cutting some of the fields of wheat with his tractor. It was nice to listen to the radio as he worked on the field; every song that played seemed to be catchy and fun. After that, he washed the leftover dirt and pollen off the tractor and worked in the shade with building a new shelve to place shovels and other materials on. He also managed to chop a few blocks of wood before resting against the barn, feeling the hot sun on his face as he drunk as few sips of water and  
breathed heavily from the tiresome work.

He tried to think of what to do with his family when he finished, but he couldn't think of anything and quickly took another sip of water. He sighed as he couldn't get the images of his daughter crying in her Mom's arms, as well as his friend Dusty being knocked out by the giant known as Big Show. He had trouble recalling most of the superstars names since he retired, especially the new ones, but that didn't seem to bother him.

He felt angry as he saw the image of Big Show crying as the older man slipped into his arms, but more so when he recalled a woman standing in the corner of the ring, smiling as if she was pleased with what she saw. Shawn recalled the way she looked, with her brown hair, sinister smile, and curvy body. The woman was Stephanie McMahon.

"Shawn."

Shawn snapped out of his thoughts and looked over to see his wife with a tray of food in her hands.

"Hey, honey," Shawn said, his voice low. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I thought you'd might be hungry after working so hard all day."

Shawn smiled, bringing the water bottle to his lips. "All day?"

"Yeah," Rebecca smiled lightly, balancing the tray in her hands. "It's so hot out here. Why don't you come inside?"

Shawn shook his head and grabbed a piece of bread from the tray, walking over to a nearby bench, which stayed outside the barn, and sat down. Rebecca followed her husband and sat down beside him, grabbing some bread herself before saying, "I think we should talk."

Shawn looked up at his wife, confused. "About what?"

"Shawn, Cheyenne doesn't understand a lot about the real world at her age. She's only nine, and seeing her get upset over what happened to Dusty makes me feel horrible."

"I feel the same way." Shawn said, frowning. "I just wish I would've done things differently."

"Like what?"

"Maybe if I was down there watching with you and the kids instead of sitting in my office-"

"Shawn, you have nothing to be ashamed of," Rebecca looked at her husband's troubled eyes. "You're a great father and you will always be the best husband to me. Even if you work all the time around here, I still love you."

Shawn sighed and looked at the house, catching a glimpse of Cheyenne and Cameron playing on the front porch. Cheyenne was laughing as her brother tried to chase her around with his Undertaker actions figures.

Shawn smiled seeing his children play with each other. Rebecca smiled herself and said, "You just want to protect them. I do, too, honey."

"Protecting them is what I've always wanted to do. When Cameron was born, I made sure he never climbed on counters or got burned on the stove. I watched him all the time. Then Cheyenne was born and I worried every night because I wasn't there with you."

"And you did a good job," Rebecca smiled. "I'm proud of you."

Shawn limply smiled. "Am I too soft?"

"What are you talking about?"

Shawn sighed and looked around the ranch. He shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just...worried."

"I've been thinking about this all morning," Rebecca paused, looking at her husband. "I think you should call Hunter and ask him if Dusty's okay. I mean, did you see the way Dusty fell into that man's arms? Someone must have wanted him hurt. Maybe...even dead."

"I doubt anyone could put their hands on Dusty and get away with it."

Rebecca smiled, but when she saw the look in Shawn's eyes, she tightened the grip on his hand and tried to get him to look at her. Shawn looked at the ground as his eyes swelled with tears. Rebecca looked at her husband, confused, but sighed and began to understand her husband's actions.

Rebecca looked at her husband, confused. Just then, Shawn's cell phone rang and Shawn got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

_"Hey, Shawn."_

"Hey, Hunter. I'm glad you called because I wanted to ask you-"

_"I'm sorry I didn't get to talk much last night, but you should know I have a lot of business deals going on right now."_

"That's great, Hunt, but I..." Shawn looked over at Rebecca, who nodded her head. They both had the same idea. "I wanted to ask you something."

There was a slight pause before Hunter answered, _"Okay. What is it?"_

Shawn gulped and said, "I think I should...well...my daughter got upset last night and she and her brother were watching Raw and..."

_"Oh, that,"_ Hunter chuckled. _"That was just business, Shawn. Dusty's a tough man and I'm sure he'll get through this just like his son's can get through the unemployment line right now."_

"What happened to his sons?"

Shawn looked over at Rebecca, her eyes misting with tears. She was about to speak, but Shawn put up his hand to signal her.

_"Oh, they broke a few rules and we had to let them go. But I will write them a letter of recommendation to any company willing to pay money to see them perform. It's a shame, too, since Cody's getting married this week."_

Shawn's heart pounded in his chest as he tried to take in what Hunter was saying. He felt something hang in the air. That something wasn't right. Something different.

_"Anyway, you can't grieve forever, right?"_

"I...I guess so." Shawn choked on his words.

"Good. I called you because Vince and Steph has arranged a private meeting between us."

"Us?"

_"Yeah, Shawn,"_ Hunter chuckled as a few noises entered the background. Shawn couldn't tell what they were. _"I think you should come to our headquarters._ _It's very important."_

Shawn felt a little confused, but a smile quickly crept on his face. "Sure, bud. I'll come down there."

_"That's great, man. I guess we'll see you Wednesday. Are you sure you want to do this?"_

Shawn took a deep breath and said, "I'm sure."

_"Good. See you Wednesday."_

"See you, Hunter."

Shawn was about to hang up when he remembered what he wanted to say.

"Oh, Hunter, I-" He began, but the phone line went dead.

Shawn sighed and closed his phone, then looked over at Rebecca.

"What did he say?" Rebecca asked.

"He wants me to come to his office, and that's what I'm gonna do."

* * *

Hunter smiled as he looked at his phone, seeing the call from Shawn that ended minutes ago. He placed the phone back in his pocket as the door opened beside him, the sounds of Stephanie's high heels touching the floor.

"How'd it go?" She asked.

"He took it well," Hunter said as he slipped his arms around his wife's waist. He kissed her. "He'll be here soon."

Stephanie smirked and kissed her husband's lips tenderly. "The plan is set."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I have nothing against the person in this chapter. This didn't happen in real life and this is one of the plots in the story. Enjoy.**

Chapter 4

Zach Ryder parked his van into a nearby parking space, hearing the tires squealing as it came to a stop. He instantly looked around towards the backseat and windows, but he saw nothing but fog covering the glass. He looked towards the front and quickly warmed his hands over the air conditioner, clutching them into fists once he pulled them back. His heart began to pound as he placed his hand on the door, trembling as he turned the keys in the ignition to shut it off. He felt the cold door under his fingers as he traced the outline of the handle, trying to find the strength to pull it open. It was nearly fifty degrees and all he had for warmth was a long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans along with sunglasses balancing on his forehead. He now regretted leaving his gloves at home.

He sighed and managed to pull the door handle towards his shaking body, instantly feeling a cold chill from the windy streets around the parking lot. He got out of his car, slowly, looking around carefully as he wrapped his arms around his body to stay warm. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, frowning when the words No Signal appeared on the screen.

"Shoot." He whispered.

Zach quickly reached inside the car and grabbed his keys. He clutched his cell phone in his hands as he closed the front door and placed his car keys in his pocket. His boots echoed on the rough pavement once he managed to close the door and headed straight for the other side of the parking lot.

The wind picked up speed as he tried to make it across the pavement, his hands tucked deep in his sides, but as soon as he made it to the street, his sunglasses fell off his forehead. Zach quickly caught them with his hands and placed his favorite pair on his eyes, smiling a little as he started to walk again towards the street.

Once he made it across the street, he quickly looked around some more. He saw nothing but other cars and streetlights in the distance, along with the empty road stretching towards some nearby apartments. Zach stopped walking as he clutched his fists and blew hot air into them from his mouth, looking at the gravel.

Then, a strange noise echoed in the distance.

Zach turned around, his heart racing in his chest, looking around in any direction he could see. The darkness thickened around him as the streetlights grew too dim and some of them at the end were broken. But, like before, he saw nothing around him. He heard another noise and quickly looked behind him. Nothing but darkness. He quickly opened his cell phone and looked at the screen. He cussed under his breath when No Signal appeared. He closed it with a grunt.

He sighed and managed to breathe slowly, trying to calm himself as he took one step forward to continue his walk across the pavement. He tightened his grip on his cell phone as he approached the end of the pavement, instantly walking into an empty park.

Lifting the sunglasses off his eyes, Zach looked back a few times to see if anything was around him. The noises had seemed to stop, but something felt different as he continued to look around the park. Zach smiled and shrugged, knowing his feelings were trying to get to him. He turned around and placed his sunglasses on top of his head, a wide smile creeping on his face when he noticed a phone booth a few feet from where he was standing. He walked towards the booth and closed the glass door once he got inside.

Zach looked around the small booth, catching glimpses of a few cars in the distance. He picked up the phone and dialed a number, then placed the phone to his ear. He put his cell phone in his pocket as he waited for someone to pick up.

_"Hello?"_

Zach smiled. "Hey, bro, how's it going?"

_"Fine, I guess," The man said. "Did you get the message I sent you?"_

"Not yet. I couldn't tell if I did anyway with this stupid phone's signal. Anyway, I might as well hear what you have to say."

_"I can't say it to you here, Zach. It's not safe,"_ The man sighed. _"Where are you anyway? You were supposed to be at the arena an hour ago."_

"An hour ago?"

Zach grew confused. He could've sworn he was given a message, when his signal did work, that he wasn't needed at work tonight.

"That's crazy, bro. I wasn't supposed to be there tonight."

_"Yes, you were. Now, they have to replace you with someone else."_

Zach sighed. "Bro?"

_"Yeah?"_

"I'm sorry. Tell them I thought I was off tonight."

_"Don't worry about that," _The man paused._ "But I am worried about this new Regime going on."_

"Tell me about it," Zach rolled his eyes at the thought of the new power the company now had. "They've betrayed all of us and make us look like dogs. They treat us like dogs, bro. Someone's gotta stand up to them."

_"You got that right,"_ The man sightly chuckled. _"That's why I'm gonna stand up to them personally."_

"Are you serious, bro? You're gonna stand up to them? That's crazy."

_"It's the only thing left to do. I can't sit here and watch all of this happen. Bryan doesn't even deserve the beatings he receives almost every night."_

"Oh, I agree," Zach grinned. "I know you'll take care of it."

Around the corner of the park, a figure stood in the darkness watching the man in the phone booth chuckling and grinning as he talked on the phone. He knew who this man was. Zach Ryder. The man who took out one of his friends and tried to lie about it. Zach was a bad lair, and even his fingerprints couldn't cover the lie. When he saw Zach hang up the phone, laughing, he reached down and grabbed an object from his pocket.

Zach opened the door and stepped outside the booth, the cold air stinging his face and hands as he began to walk down the street, hoping to get back to his car and go home. He grinned and looked at the ground, hoping he could find out where the next show was and to get a plane ticket right away. He heard leaves crunch under him as he continued in his path, not caring to look up or grab his phone to check the signal again.

A slight chuckle. A loud echo in the air.

Zach looked around the place, his heart racing when he heard the noise, but soon felt something hit him hard in his chest. He looked down and saw blood racing down his shirt and to the hem of his pants. He tried to breathe, but all he could do was gasp for air. He felt his legs crumble under him and soon doubled over on the ground, continuing to gasp and trying to find a way to stop the blood. His hands trembled as he felt his own blood trail over them.

Then he heard footsteps in the distance. Zach looked around, his head dizzy, and saw a figure coming towards him with a gun in its hands. Zach tried to crawl away, but he couldn't find the strength to lift himself up or move his footsteps came closer and the figure stopped in front of Zach's cold, shaking body. Zach tried to reach for something, but he couldn't feel his hands. He couldn't feel anything except his choked breathing.

The figure smiled and raised the gun. Zach cowered back in fear as he felt a warm substance crawl down his mouth. His eyes widened when he noticed the object and the person above it.

"P-Please...don't..."

He looked into the figure's cold eyes as it pulled the trigger.

**Stay Tuned. More Will Be On The Way Soon.**


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